Best Day Trips from Larnaca
Are you looking for the best day trips from Larnaca, Cyprus?
Larnaca is a coastal city on the southern side of Cyprus, an island nation located in the Mediterranean. Geographically part of the Middle East, Cyprus is politically and culturally European.
Known for its great beaches, Cyprus is a popular summertime destination. Cyprus also an excellent place to visit if you’re interested in history and culture. It also has delicious food and hopping nightlife.
Some of the most popular places to stay in Cyprus are Ayia Napa, Paphos, Larnaca, and Limassol.
I ended up visiting Larnaca a bit randomly. I had just under a week of time to kill between being in Egypt and needing to be in Morocco, and I saw direct flights from Cairo to Larnaca on EgyptAir. Since the prices were reasonable and it was only a one hour and 20 minutes flight, I went for it.
I decided to base myself in Larnaca and take day trips to explore other parts of the country. I was visiting Cyprus deep in the off season (February) so things weren’t particularly lively or crowded, which suited me just fine. It was also pretty cool and it rained some of the time while I was there.
Should You Stay in Larnaca?
Like I said, I made a sort of random decision to stay in Larnaca because I saw direct flights there and figured it was one of the major cities in Cyprus so there would be plenty of things to do.
For me, Larnaca was a great base because it’s a compact and walkable city with some interesting historic sights. It doesn’t have the best beaches on the island, though. If good beaches are important to you, I would recommend staying in nearby Ayia Napa instead, or Paphos on the other side of the island.
However, Larnaca is conveniently located to the biggest international airport in Cyprus and it’s a good location for exploring the rest of the island too. So overall I would recommend staying here, especially if you’re visiting in the off season like I was. A lot of places in the smaller beach towns like Ayia Napa were totally shut down for the winter, while everything in Larnaca was open since it’s a year-round city.
I stayed at the Josephine Boutique Hotel in Larnaca and I’d recommend it. It was modern, clean, and centrally located, and it offered great value for money. There was a good free breakfast buffet every morning and a nice rooftop with a pool (which I didn’t use since I was visiting in February, but still!)
Getting Around in Cyprus
When it comes to taking day trips from Larnaca, you have several options.
The first would be to rent a car. I didn’t do this on my trip, because they drive on the “wrong” side of the road in Cyprus (thanks to 80 years of British rule) and as someone who doesn’t even like to drive on the “right” side of the road in the US and other countries, I didn’t feel comfortable with this option.
You can also take public transportation. While I would have normally done this, the time of year that I was visiting meant that buses weren’t running as frequently from Larnaca to the places I wanted to go, which would have made day trips logistically tricky and time-consuming. So I didn’t do this either.
Finally, you can book tours. I ended up taking two organized tours (which I’ll talk about more below) and I enjoyed both of them. It was a good way to visit multiple destinations in one day and get an overview of some places on the island. This was an especially good option since I was traveling solo on this trip.
So where should you go on a day trip from Larnaca, Cyprus?
Here’s a look at the best day trips from Larnaca you can take:
⭐ Short on time? These are the top tours and activities I recommend. If you book directly through a link on this page, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Stay to Wander!
Best Day Trips from Larnaca:
- Full-day tour to Paphos and Kourion
- Full-day food and wine tour in the Troodos Mountains
- Half-day nature tour of Cape Greco
Ayia Napa
One of the easiest day trips you can take from Larnaca is Ayia Napa. Located east of the city, Ayia Napa is one of the most popular beach destinations on the island. As I mentioned above, Larnaca doesn’t have the best beaches, so Ayia Napa is a great place to go if you’re looking for really stunning beaches.
Nissi Beach and nearby Makronissos Beach are among the best beaches in Cyprus. With crystal-clear aqua-blue waters and soft white sand, these beaches are the perfect destination for a day trip.
Ayia Napa is about a 40-minute drive from Larnaca. If you don’t have a car, you can also take a bus from Larnaca to Ayia Napa for your beach day. Although with stops, this takes one hour and 15 minutes.
Cape Greco
Cape Greco is one of my top recommendations for a day trip from Larnaca. Located further east from Ayia Napa, this area is part of a nature preserve and extremely beautiful. Since I didn’t have a car in Cyprus, I ended up booking this half-day guided tour of Cape Greco and found it to be worth the cost.
The tour included an easy guided hike around a nature preserve on the tip of the island, a visit to the famous sea caves outside Ayia Napa, a visit to a natural arch, a stop at Nissi Beach, and more.
If you have your own car, you can easily do this day trip yourself, but it would be tricky with public transportation. So if you don’t have a car, I would recommend booking an organized tour like I did.
Paphos
Paphos is my other top recommendation for a day trip from Larnaca. Located on the western side of the island, Paphos is a 1.5-hour drive from Larnaca. It’s a very popular destination on the island because of its beaches as well as its unique historical sites, especially the amazing Paphos Archaeological Park.
If you’re interested in ancient Greek and Roman history, you won’t want to miss these ruins. I highly recommend this full-day tour which is the one I did. It’s a great value for money and you do so much.
Not only do you visit Paphos Archaeological Park and get some additional free time in the town of Paphos, but you also visit the ruins of Kourion (equally impressive), stop at the legendary Aphrodite’s Rock along the coast, and enjoy a free sampling of traditional Cypriot sweets in a small town.
Ancient Kourion
I just briefly mentioned it above, but Ancient Kourion is another good day trip from Larnaca. You can easily combine it with a visit to Paphos (like this tour does) or visit it on its own.
The Kourion Archaeological Site is one hour from Larnaca by car, just past the coastal city of Limassol. Here you can explore the ruins of Kourion, an ancient Greek city-state with lots of history.
If you want to spend more time here, visiting on your own would be a good option. My only critique of the tour I did is that I would have enjoyed a little more time to explore at each stop.
Troodos Mountains
The Troodos Mountains are another fantastic day trip from Larnaca. A lot of people only stick to the coast and beaches of Cyprus and neglect to visit the beautiful interior of the island.
However, you definitely shouldn’t make this mistake! Unless you have your own car, you will need to take an organized tour to visit the Troodos Mountains because you can’t really get around via public transportation. This full-day Jeep safari tour is a great option. You’ll visit several villages around the interior of the island and drive through scenic mountains, stopping for an included lunch in a village.
Another tour I’d recommend is this full-day food and wine tour. You’ll also get to experience several villages in the Troodos Mountains, and you’ll have the chance to stop and enjoy traditional Cypriot food tastings and local wine tastings as you go. You’ll also be provided with a meze lunch and drinks.
Nicosia
Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus, but it’s located in Northern Cyprus, which considers itself an independent country (that is only recognized by Turkey.) I unfortunately did not have the chance to visit Northern Cyprus on my trip but I’d like to return at some point in the future and see this side of the country too.
You can get to Nicosia by bus from Larnaca (which takes one hour and 15 minutes) or drive yourself, which takes about 45 minutes. Nicosia is an interesting destination for culture and history.
The Cyprus Museum is a free archaeological museum about the island, while Büyük Han is an impressive work of Ottoman architecture from the 16th century. You can also visit Selimiye Mosque, a 13th-century Christian cathedral that was later converted into a mosque. It’s the largest mosque on the island too.
Famagusta
One more Northern Cyprus day trip you can take from Larnaca is Famagusta. This ancient city along the coast is located about a 50-minute drive from Larnaca. There is no public transportation from Larnaca to Famagusta, so you will either need to have your own car or take an organized tour like this one.
The tour includes free time to visit the historic city of Famagusta, with its old churches and Venetian walls. You’ll also visit nearby Saint Barnabas Monastery and the ruins of the ancient Greek city-state Salamis.
Another interesting place near Famagusta (which this tour also visits) is Varosha. Once a thriving beach destination attracting celebrity tourists from all over the world, Varosha is an abandoned ghost town today. Visiting here can teach you a lot about the separation between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.
Top Day Trips from Larnaca
This guide showed you the best day trips from Larnaca, Cyprus.
If you want to stick to the coast and beaches, I’d recommend Ayia Napa and Cape Greco. For history-lovers, you can’t miss the archaeological sites at Paphos and Kourion. And if you want to explore the interior of the island, a tour to the Troodos Mountains is a good option. Finally, if you want to see a different side of Cyprus, you can visit a destination in Northern Cyprus such as Nicosia or Famagusta.
If you’re basing yourself in Larnaca, you can easily explore many destinations in Cyprus.
Enjoy your trip to Cyprus!
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